THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, AUGUST 27, 2021 Page 13 SAUGUS GARDENS IN THE SUMMER Here’s what’s blooming in town this week to make your walks more enjoyable By Laura Eisener T he garden of artist Kelly Slater and her artist husband John Wilkinson is full of charming surprises and unusual plants. The site is mostly shaded by tall trees, and it has many levels, including a steep, ivy covered cliff. An impressive range of plants grow here, providing food and shelter for wildlife. Kelly says, “My philosophy is to totally pack every inch with plants, to cover all the bare ground, as it leaves less room for weeds.” Many of the plants she has brought to the garden are native to North America, and she has planted some very interesting species dating back to when she worked for the New England Wildflower Society in Framingham. Approaching the property, one of the most noticeable flowers you’d see is a clump of tall coneflower (Rudbeckia maxima), which reaches eight feet in height and is presently covered with bright yellow flowers. Once the flowers are faded, the abundant seeds provide food for a wide variety of birds. Right beneath it and scattered on other areas of the garden as well is brown-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia triloba), which has reddish stems and grows well in sun or shade. This selfsows readily and also provides plenty of seed for wildlife in the fall. Kelly and John value plants which offer seasonal interest, such as flowers, colorful foliage, ornamental bark, or other features, but also which can offer food or shelter to wildlife. Also, like most homeowners, low maintenance is much appreciated. John has built terraces and steps into the hillside using fieldstones found on the site, which makes it possible to enjoy the gardens on the steeply sloped side of the garden. Yellow fumewort (Corydalis lutea, also sometimes known as Pseudofumaria lutea), a shady rock garden plant, can grow out of seemingly tiny spaces between the rocks. It has blue-green, fine textured foliage and produces small, funnel shaped, yellow flowers almost all summer. It is native to the Southern Alps and prefers a well-drained site. TALL CONEFLOWER: Once these bright yellow flowers (Rudbeckia maxima) in the Slater/Wilkinson garden fade, the abundant seeds provide food for a wide variety of birds. (Courtesy photos to The Saugus Advocate by Laura Eisener) Both Kelly and John have found a great deal of inspiration in their garden. John’s mobiles can be found hanging from the trees and the house corner, and a few can be enjoyed from the chairs and tables under the patio umbrellas, responding to the slightest breeze. John also constructed the patio and other small walls and niches on the site. Branches from the trees have been used to make trellises and teepees for climbers in the vegetable garden, such as cucumbers and squash. The vegetable garden occupies the sunniest spot, but Kelly and John have enjoyed food from their “forest garden” as well. Blueberries are the most familiar native crop, though the harvest is shared with the birds. Chokecherry (Prunus virginiana), when fully ripe and sweetened, can also be used in baked goods and beverages. Kelly also harvests the tubers of Jerusalem artichokes (Helianthus tuberosus) that grow in her vegetable garden. Hummingbirds come to the pink bee IN THE SHADE: Brown-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia triloba) will provide plenty of seed for wildlife in the fall. balm (Monarda didyma) in the front yard for nectar, and a robin built a nest in the trumpet honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens) growing on the back porch. Birdhouses built by John in interesting designs have also hosted many bird families over the years. Several bird species and squirrels eat seeds from the hemlocks (Tsuga canadensis), and cedar waxwings are fond of the waxy cones of red cedar (Juniperus virginiana). Many birds take shelter year round in the hemlocks. A large picture window in the kitchen makes an ideal spot to observe them. Deep purple flowers of New York ironweed (Vernonia noveboracensis) and dusty rose blossoms of native joe-pye weed (Eurotrichum purpureum) are flowering now, and soon a variety of asters, including wood aster (Eurybia divaricata) and New England aster (Symphiotrichum novae-angliae), will be attracting pollinators, too. Other animals seen in the garden include chipmunks, some rabbits, cardinals, chickadees, mockingbirds, robins, starling, blue jays and house sparrows. Foraging wild turkeys sometimes ON THE SHADY TERRACES: Yellow fumitory (Corydalis lutea). This shady rock garden plant can grow out of seemingly tiny spaces between the rocks. pass through. Kelly has done several drawings of the mini-orchard near the patio – a group of pear, apple and crabapple trees. Her artwork often depicts Breakheart Reservation, as she used to have a home near there. Other favorite subjects are scenes on Mt. Greylock in western Massachusetts, where she had several residencies between 2017 and 2019, and the Basin and other landmarks of the White Mountains in New Hampshire, where she has been artist in residence on a few occasions, including this summer. Editor’s Note: Laura Eisener is a landscape design consultant who helps homeowners with landscape design and plant selection and placement of trees and shrubs, as well as perennials. She is a member of the Saugus Garden Club and offered to write a series of articles about “what’s blooming in town” shortly after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. She was inspired after seeing so many people taking up walking. JOHN’S SCULPTURE: “Lily” under a patio umbrella spins in the breeze. FRUIT ART: Kelly Slater’s painting “Apple and Pear” depicts the mini-orchard in her garden. (Courtesy photo to The Saugus Advocate by Kelly Slater)
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